The Democratic Progressive Party is taking a proactive approach to tackling misinformation about nuclear power by taking part in this year’s anti-nuclear parades in Taipei and Kaohsiung on Saturday, DPP Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said yesterday.
The Taipei march is to start at 1pm from the main stage on Ketagalan Boulevard, while participants in Kaohsiung are to gather at 2pm at Aozihdi Forest Park (凹子底森林公園), the National Anti-nuclear Action Platform said.
While a majority of voters in a referendum last year were in favor of abolishing the legal basis of the government’s “nuclear power free homeland by 2025” policy, it was passed amid misinformation spread by nuclear power proponents and members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Luo told a news conference in Taipei hosted by the action platform.
Photo: CNA
The DPP administration still adheres to its goals of phasing out nuclear power plants by 2025 and having renewable energy sources account for 20 percent of the nation’s power generation facilities, while coal-fired units make up 27 percent and natural gas 50 percent, he said.
The other 3 percent of the nation’s electricity would be generated from a mixture of other sources, such as hydraulic power and oil, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said last month.
The DPP administration would no longer be indifferent and passive about the nuclear power issue as it was before last year’s referendum, Luo said.
Asked if the DPP administration has more concrete plans to counteract nuclear power proponents who are gaining momentum, Luo said the party has established a special group to handle energy transformation discussions and the Legislative Yuan earlier this month passed amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條例).
The government is also striving to cut coal power generation, and he is to meet with groups against air pollution in Taichung next month, he added.
The action platform last week sent President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) an invitation to join the parades, but the Presidential Office has yet to respond, Green Citizens’ Action Alliance deputy secretary-general Hung Shen-han (洪申翰) said.
Invitations were also sent to New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and political parties, Hung added.
Nearly 4.9 percent of the nation’s electricity was generated from renewable power sources last year, 11.4 percent from nuclear power, 82.2 percent from burning fossil fuels and the remainder from other means, data from state-run Taiwan Power Co’s Web site showed yesterday.
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